New Delhi [India], June 25 (ANI): The Indian Junior (U-21) Men's Hockey Team is set for an exposure tour of Belgium, where it will play six high-intensity matches against Austria, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands.
The tour will serve as a critical preparation phase for the squad under its new coach, Frederic Soyez, ahead of the Men's Junior Asia Cup later this year, as per a release from Hockey India.
The tour will see India play two matches each against Austria and Belgium and one match apiece against Germany and the Netherlands. Of the six matches, which will be played from July 7-17 2026, five will be held at the Belfius Hockey Arena in Wavre, Belgium, while the concluding match of the tour against the Netherlands will be played at the Hockey Center of Excellence in Antwerp.
India will open their campaign against Austria on July 7, followed by the second match against the same opponents on July 8. The team will then face hosts Belgium on July 10, before taking on Germany on July 13 and Belgium again on July 14. The tour-concluding fixture against the Netherlands will be played on July 17.
The tour offers the young Indian side a valuable opportunity to test itself against some of Europe's strongest hockey nations ahead of the international assignments later this year, with each fixture expected to provide crucial exposure in different conditions and against different playing styles.
Ahead of the tour, recently appointed coach Soyez stated, "I am very excited about experiencing this first tour with the group. It is a great opportunity to get to know the players better in a different environment, while also laying the foundations of our playing project. Tours like this are always important because they help create shared references, strengthen team cohesion and begin to build a real team identity."
"These matches are very important because they immediately put us in conditions that are close to what we will face in major competitions. They will allow us to assess our current level of performance, our ability to apply our playing principles under pressure and also how we respond against quality opponents," the coach concluded. (ANI)
